


Making Amends

by annetheseamaiden



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 18:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2160852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annetheseamaiden/pseuds/annetheseamaiden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Upon returning to Middleham, Richard realizes that his absence has created some strains between his relationship with Anne, and his son Ned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Amends

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was not bored, but he did felt bored. He was siting besides his Mother, who was telling him a tale of a gallant duke who rescued a princess of the wicked hands of a Bad Queen.

“–and then, the gallant duke, Ned, he extended his hand to the princess. She was scared, Ned. She was frightened. She feared that her life would be stolen from her by force. She was afraid of–”

“Dying. That’s the story you have told me a thousand times.” Ned grunted to his Mother.

Anne did not truly understand what was going on with Ned. He was such a sweet darling. Lately, he had been behaving like a devil spawn, grumpy, and like an unpleased Neville.

“Ned!” Anne called.

“I do not want to hear that silly story!” He cried out loud, knocking over some of his wooden tiny horses that his Father built him whenever he had some time. Anne was using to re-enact the story.

Her story.

Ned did not know that his Father was watching him. His Papa, as he called him, would not allow him to talk his mother in such way. It was just disrespectful. 

“Edward!”

Ned’s face turned as pale as the snow outside. It was not that he was afraid of his Father. Anne was the sweet, and caring of the two. Richard was the strong one. But he did not know him as he knew his Mother. His Papa was either in London, settling some treaty in the North with the Scots, or he was on his desk being the Lord of the North.

“Beg your Mother for forgiveness.” Richard said as he looked at his six year old son. He shared their charming physical traits, and also the dangerous combination of their temperament.

“But I–”

“Edward!” Richard warned in his tone. Edward turned his back to his Father, and faced his dear Mother.

“I bed for your forgiveness, Lady Mother.”

Anne was kind. She had been trying to figure out what was troubling him lately. He seemed distant, and also seemed sad.

“It is okay my darling!” Anne smiled, “I always forgive you, don’t I?”

Ned loved his Mother’s smile. Her smile was so kind and so warm. For Ned there was no more beautiful woman in the world. For him, his Mother was his Queen. “Though I think that it is time for you to go to your tutor. Latin is it today?”

“Everyday is Latin day, Mama.”

“Go on. I expect you today to teach me some Latin.”

Richardtook the liberty to dismissed Anne’s ladies as Anne picked the little wooden knights that Richard had made for him on his free time, and she paint them with some colours that a lady of her made with only flowers.

“What is it now, my lady?” Richard asked. He knew it just by Anne’s body that there was something going on.

“It is nothing.” Anne lied.

“He cannot talk to you like that.” Richard reminded her, “You are his mother! This has not been the first time he has spoken to you like that.”

“He said he was sorry, okay.” Anne said, “And I would be tired too if I–”

“Why are you angry with me?” Richard asked her as he placed his arms on her shoulders.

“I am not.” Anne said.

“I know I said that it would be three weeks at Court. Are you still mad at me?”

Richard had just arrived six days ago from court. Originally, he said that the matter would take no more that three weeks. It did not go as he planned. Edward send him to Wales, while Edward whored his way with the ladies of his court. His three weeks turned into four months where he missed Anne’s, Ned’s birthday and their anniversary.

“I have said that I am deeply sorry–”

“It is so hard to be here alone.” Anne cried out loud, “I know that you are a busy man. But you do also have a family.”

She was mad. She was more hurt than mad.

“Okay, get it out.” Richard said, “I can take it.”

“You missed my birthday. Edward’s too! I do not care about my birthday or our anniversary. I am a woman, but Ned’s? You promised you would be here and you were not. You came on winter’s first snow!”

“Is that it?”

“Is that it? Is that what you have to say for yourself?”Anne shook her head, “Did you take your pleasure with someone else?” Anne asked, “Is that why are you so distant? Do you have a mistress in London?”

“Of course I don’t!” Richard sighed, “I am not different towards you. I am just giving you your space because everytime that I try to talk to you or to touch you I am afraid that you may bite my head off!” Richard yelled making Anne frown.

“If I bite your head off is because I am angry!” Anne was now yelling really loudly.

“Anne!”

“What?” Anne asked. He could see the Neville monster creeping out of her shadow.

“I am sorry.” Richard said calmly.

“You are always sorry! Can you not just say for once no to Edward?” Anne asked. She had now her hands firmly on her hips.

“You want me say not to the King of England?” Richard laughed, “That is hilarious!”

“He is your brother, and he loves you. He would not mind if you mind if you said _no_ three times per year!”

“And you said that you were not mad!”

“I am not mad. I am furious, and hurt because it is always like this.” Anne complained.

“You both could come to court–”

“To be cursed by that witch England has for Queen? I – We are stronger and safer in the North where we are adored, loved and wanted.” Anne cried as she poked her index finger into Richard’s chest.

“I wrote you every week!” Richard cried out loud, pointing out that fact.

“And I wrote you too back. When I miscarried, I thought that you would come, but you didn’t. You just said that you were sorry, and that you wished you could have been her with me.” 

Richard’s weakness were Anne’s tears, “Sometimes, Richard, I think that you love more the King and England more than you love me and Ned.”

“No, no, no, no, no.” Richard said shaking his head, “How could you think such thing from me?”

“Well, that is how I feel. As for Ned, Richard, he loves you and admires you so much that I fear that he feels that he is disappointed on himself. He is confused, and he–”

Richard pulled her towards him and embraced her into a long hug. For the first time since he had arrived, Anne had been truly honest to him. Too honest, actually. He felt like a bad husband. His duties were affecting his family. His duties were affecting his stronghold. It pained him so much that Anne had lost their baby while he was a away. He had the best intentions. That was the main reason why he did not talked about it. He feared that the pain Anne felt, and that he felt will come back, so he remained silent, and as if it had never happened. They had only been married for six years now. Anne conceived Ned in their fifth month of being wedded, and three years since Ned was born, they had been trying to conceive. He knew that Anne longed for a growing belly, just as he did, and when she told him as he hugged her that it is impossible to conceive while he is gone, it broke his heart because it was the truth.

Anne rested her head on his shoulder. Even though they had been intimate in the past few days, Anne had not felt that type of connection in a long time. She really did miss his arms. The warmth of his arms around her. She could now truly enjoy the scent of his neck.

“I do not love England or Edward more than the two of you.” Richard said as he cleaned her tears, “The only reason I live is because of the two you.”

“Why don’t you go and talk to Ned. You could sit him on your desk– he likes to seal letters. He loves to play with the hot wax.”

“Does he?” Richard asked.

“He always seal my letters.” Anne said, taking a deep breath.

Richard took a pause and sighed as he looked at the floor.

“I am going to talk to him, okay.”

“Are you, are you really?

“I will.”

He felt as the worst person in the world. He thought that he had been doing alright by giving Anne her space. He had not realized that he was wrong. Anne nodded, while Richard took her hand and kissed her wedding ring as a prove of her undying love for her. 

He told Ned’s nurse to prepare his winter coat, gloves, and his boots. When he got to where Ned was, it reminded him of his youth, and how boring Latin could be. At first, Ned became a little frightened when he saw his Father on the door frame.

“Your Grace!” Ned’s tutor gasped. He hardly had seen Richard come to the chamber. It was usually Anne who came to hear her son’s progress. His tutor explained that Ned was smart, but that he got distracted easily, and that his favourite subject was Astronomy.

“You like Astronomy?” Richard asked. He remembered that Ned wrote to him about how the stars sometimes could be seen, and other times not.

“The Earl will take the rest of this day off.” Richard said.

“But Your Grace–”

“The Earl will take the rest of this day off. Now come Ned! Let’s go!”

Ned felt a little confused, but he stood up and walked up to his Father. Richard extended his hand, which Ned took.

“I said I was sorry to Mama.”

“I know Ned.” Richard could not help it but to kneel and pull Ned up to his shoulders. Carrying him like he was a little baby, made Ned laugh as Richard walked to Ned’s room.

“Where are we going Papa?”

“Do you like to play in the snow?” Richard asked.

“Mama does.”

“I know she does. But my question was if you liked it.”

“Mama also likes to paint. Mama is painting the wooden soldiers that you are make for me.”

“I know that.” Richard said, “But do you like to play in the snow?”

“I do.” Ned said, “I like to throw snowballs. Yesterday, I knocked Mama over with my snowball.”

“Did you?” Richard asked.

“Mama says that I am as strong as you are.”

“She says that?” Richard asked, “Punch me here. I want to see how strong you have gotten.”

When Ned punched him on his arm, he wondered if Anne was just saying to him that he was strong, just to encourage him.

“Mama says that I am strong, but I am not that strong.”

Richard carried his son to the garden outside. Ned, since he was so small, he was almost knee deep in the snow, while Richard was just ankle deep. Ned walked funny on the snow. He bended his knees almost to his chin every time he took a step.

They had a snow fight, but it went on until Richard knocked Ned over with one of his throws.

“Ned, are you alright?” Richard asked as he walked to his son.

Ned nodded as Richard sat next to him in the cold,but soft snow.Richard pulled his son to his lap and kissed his little forehead. He still could remember the first time he hold him. He was so soft and so tiny that he feared that he could break his little bones with his rough skin.

“You know that I love you, right?” Richard asked as he ran his fingers through Ned’s hair.

“Mama says that you love me.”

He felt amazed how he believed everything that Anne said to him. Anne was right, he loved Ned. There was now doubt about his love for his son. What surprised Richard was Ned’s blind trust for his Mother. It was something that amazed him. It made him wish that he could be like that with Ned.

“But do you feel it?” Richard asked.

Ned looked up to the sky and explained his Father that they could not see the blue of the sky because of the clouds.

“Ned, don’t change the subject.”

Ned was a master when it came to that.

“You are a never here. That makes Mama sad.”

“I am talking about you, little knight.” Richard said, “Does it makes you sad? Like it makes Mama sad?”

Ned nodded not daring to meet his Father’s eyes. Richard felt his heart break for a second time in a single day.

“I will change that.” Richard said.

“Are you going to be here more often?” Ned asked, his eyes glowing like a candle in a dark forest.

“I am.” Richard said, “I promise.”

“Really, Papa? Will you?”

“From now on Ned, I will always keep up with my promises.”

Ned threw himself into his Father’s arms, knocking the twenty-six year old man to the ground.

“I was wrong. Your Mama is right, as usual. You are quite strong!”

“Am I?” Ned asked.

“Yes you are, Ned. You have grown strong. Just like your Father. Are you proud of that?”

The snowflakes where tangling themselves in Ned’s eyelashes. Richard noticed it and blew into his eyes. Little did he know was that Anne had thought Ned some shady tactics while playing in the snow. Ned, with his little arms, he reached for a little snow, and threw it to his father’s face. That caught Richard by surprise.

“Your mother taught you that. Didn’t she?”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> It was something that I have been wanting to write along time ago.  
> I know that I may have written Richard on a different light, but I think that it may be accurate when it came to the relationships between medieval marriages.  
> Let me know what you think


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